Finally, another Thunderbolt 5 SSD has landed, and boy is it fast! Seagate's LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is a stunner

This is only the second TB5 SSD on the market after the Envoy Ultra
Seagate says it can reach speeds of 6700/5300MBps in read/write
This rugged SSD will cost up to $600 for the 4TB version

LaCie, Seagate’s premium brand, has launched the Rugged SSD Pro5, a high-speed external drive designed for creative professionals.

The Thunderbolt 5 drive will be available in 2TB and 4TB capacities, offering high-speed data transfer rates which make it ideally suited for demanding creative workflows like direct editing of 6K and 8K RAW video files.

The Rugged SSD Pro5 delivers ultra-fast read speeds of up to 6700MB/s and write speeds of up to 5300MB/s with a 50GB cache, allowing faster rendering, backups, and media transfers. LaCie says that once the cache is exceeded, the drive will deliver speeds of up to 5000MB/s for reading and 1800MB/s for writing.

Price matched

LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 connected

(Image credit: Seagate)

Created by award-winning Scottish designer Neil Poulton, who has worked on many of LaCie’s previous products, the Rugged SSD Pro5 measures 0.669in x 2.559in x 3.858in (17mm x 65mm x 98mm) and weighs 0.331lb (150g). It retains the brand’s signature rubberized enclosure for durability and is drop-resistant for up to three meters. Its IP68-rating for dust and water resistance makes it suitable for use in extreme environments. LaCie says the enclosure is constructed from at least 45% recycled materials.

LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is compatible with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB-C devices supporting speeds up to 40Gbps and it comes with a five-year limited warranty and Seagate’s Rescue Data Recovery Services for added data protection.

It will be available globally in January 2025, priced at $399.99 for the 2TB model and $599.99 for the 4TB version, which incidentally is the same price as OWC’s Envoy Ultra SSDs in the same capacities.

“Storage demands of creative professionals have spiked, especially for those incorporating generative AI in their routine,” said Lance Ohara, VP, Endpoint Marketing at Seagate.

“The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is equipped to handle those demanding workloads and data-intensive applications. This makes it an invaluable tool for experts seeking the unmatched transfer speeds and editing power.”

This is only the second TB5 portable SSD launched on the market after Other World Computing (OWC) launched its rugged Envoy Ultra in October 2024. That device promptly sold out, but OWC says it is expecting new stock to arrive later this month.